


Taboo

by chellerrific



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Gen, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-13
Updated: 2011-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-29 06:13:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/316653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chellerrific/pseuds/chellerrific
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Artemis and Apollo each have one word they will only say to each other and no one else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taboo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skypirateb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skypirateb/gifts).



> For Philippa, written during Dissertation-a-thon 2011.

Artemis and Apollo each have one word they will only say to each other and no one else.

For Artemis that word is _Orion_. If anyone else says it to her, she becomes angry and combative. Granted, “angry” and “combative” tend to be Artemis’ default modes, but most quickly learn not to press that particular button. Some will, upon occasion, sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident. But the reaction to the O-word is always immediate: narrowed eyes, aggressive stance, often an arrow in the eye of the one who said it. It is a line others are not allowed to cross without painful repercussions.

Even Apollo knows to broach the subject with care. It’s not dinnertime conversation—not for her and not for Apollo, either. He lacks closure in the Orion department as well, because Orion is the only one who can still make his sister feel not just anger, but genuine pain. And for that, Apollo can never forgive him.

For Apollo the one word is _Hyacinth_. When others mention it, Apollo has the tendency to go hard of hearing, smiling too much and being too dismissive. Apollo is normally too cavalier in Artemis’ opinion, but when he is trying not to show grief, he becomes a caricature of himself, too jaunty, too chipper, too light-hearted. He fools few people, least of all his twin.

Artemis tells him that it isn’t his fault, because it isn’t. He was the one to throw the discus but it was Zephyr who put it on its deadly course. Apollo always smiles and bobs his head like he’s a puppet on strings and insists he’s fully aware of those facts, he bears no guilt about it at all, but the lie is so apparent it breaks his twin’s heart.

On the night they got word Iris had sent Zephyr packing, Artemis showed up at Apollo’s place with a bottle of wine, and the two celebrated into the wee hours of the morning.


End file.
